Operations Specialist (OS) 1st Class Chad Sherwood graduated from U.S. Navy boot camp September 9, 2001.

Two days later, the world changed.

As the newly-minted Seaman Recruit Sherwood awaited follow-on travel to "A" school in Dam Neck, Va., he noticed his normally unflappable recruit division commanders (RDC) suddenly looked rattled.

"RDCs, you fear them," said Sherwood. "So when they walk in and say, 'Get back to the berthing, we've got something going on,' you know something is up."

Now serving with Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26 aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) in support of anti-submarine warfare exercises, Sherwood, 34 is a Navy reservist whose term of military service spans virtually the same length of time the U.S. has been at war.

Sherwood served 11 years on active duty before becoming a reservist in 2012. He specializes in anti-submarine warfare and currently drills as a member of Undersea Warfare Operations Detachment, Schenectady, N.Y.

When he isn't monitoring radar screens and keeping control of vessels as an OS, the married father of two from Elmira, N.Y., is a full-time IT specialist for Beacon Health Options in Albany. He is also currently pursuing a degree in Information Technology with a focus on telecom and IP services from Southern New Hampshire University.

His service aboard Ike satisfies the Navy Reserve's mandatory selected reservist (SELRES) two-week annual training (AT) requirement and Sherwood said he chose to perform his AT aboard Ike because it afforded him the opportunity to make an immediate operational impact.

"Someone sent an e-mail out saying, 'Hey, they need the support,'" he said. "I chose this over Hawaii."

While on active duty, Sherwood served aboard the fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericsson (T-AO-194) and the amphibious transport dock USS Trent (LPD 14). Although he relished the opportunity to perform his AT aboard Ike, he said it took him more than a moment to get his sea legs back.

"I would say it took about two days just to get used to sleeping in the rack again and getting around the ship," he said with a short laugh. "Then getting that first jolt where it's like "Wow, we're back out to sea, I'm floating again. We're not tied to the pier!"'

Sherwood laughed about embracing the awkwardness and initial discomfort of facing life on a carrier.

"It's different," he said. "I thought, 'What am I doing here? Why did I pick something I'm not used to?'"

Sherwood soon learned Ike's creature comforts far exceed some other platforms in the fleet.

"I was on an Austin-class LPD once (Trenton) and it was tough by comparison," he said, shaking his head. "It's not like here where I have five chow lines to choose from. No. We had one line and one galley."

Although Sherwood initially experienced a few first-day-of-school butterflies upon coming aboard Ike, he said his active duty shipmates have been both supportive and surprisingly inquisitive.

"You come into a situation where you don't know what the reaction will be when you say you're a reservist," Sherwood said. "But a lot of people I've talked to aboard the ship say "Oh, you're a reservist? Can I ask you some questions?"'

Sherwood explained that while many Ike shipmates have expressed interest in going from the active component to the reserve component, he advised them the grass is not necessarily guaranteed to be greener.

"Stay with it," he advised them of life on the active duty side, "and then just roll with the punches because the reserve is its own beast. You're doing what you used to do every day, compressed into two days a month: training, paperwork and working out."

Sherwood went on to explain the many responsibilities which come with a reserve commitment and the unique challenges.

"The daily life of a reservist is that mixture of family, going to school and putting everything together and still doing all the Navy stuff," said Sherwood, before noting his success as a reservist is a result of a valuable skill learned while on active duty. "The Navy taught me time management. There are some days you have to just not do schoolwork and go play with your kids or treat your wife to a date night. And there are times when you just can't make that happen and you miss stuff with your family."

Sherwood said the Navy Reserve has offered him the opportunity to stay in a fight which started mere days after his boot camp graduation.

"The great thing about the reserves is you can do stuff like this where you're supporting and helping out the active duty guys," he said.

Sherwood said he has enjoyed his AT and he appreciates the support and encouragement he has received from his new Ike shipmates.

"I've enjoyed my time on board," he said. "The ship has been great. DESRON 26 has been awesome for taking me in and making me feel welcome and not just saying "Oh, he's the reservist."

Ike and its carrier strike group are underway participating in a sustainment exercise designed to maintain deployment readiness as part of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP).

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